After leading Hillsborough College’s women’s tennis team to its fourth national championship—its third in the last three years—and earning Coach of the Tournament honors, athletic director and head women’s tennis coach Sarah Lytle remains focused on what she values most: helping student-athletes reach their full potential.
For Lytle, the journey to this level of success has been rooted in a lifelong connection to the sport. After playing Division I tennis at the University of Wyoming and competing in junior tournaments throughout her childhood, coaching became a natural next step. “After I graduated, I didn’t really know much else other than a life of being around tennis and sports.” Her coaching career took her to Saint Leo University and Colgate University before she joined Hillsborough College, where she recently completed her ninth season.
While the program continues to build its legacy, Lytle emphasizes that sustained success begins with developing confident student-athletes. Rather than focusing solely on mistakes, she strives to build athletes up by emphasizing their strengths and encouraging continuous growth. “I try and build up the athletes as much as possible. Athletes can be super critical. I try to focus more on the positives.”
In a sport that often emphasizes individual performance, Lytle has built a culture centered on teamwork and mutual support. “Building each other up, and helping each other get better, is the best way to build yourself up.” That team-first philosophy has helped produce one of the nation’s most successful junior college tennis programs. This season, the Hawks captured their fourth national championship in program history and swept all nine flights at the national tournament. Lytle said those accomplishments are the product of months of preparation rather than a single weekend of competition. “The hardest part about winning a national championship is all the days that come before it—all the practices and all the tough sessions—teaching them how to accept feedback and how to work together as a team.”
Despite the program’s success, Lytle believes some of her proudest accomplishments happen after her athletes leave Hillsborough College. This year, all five sophomore players earned full Division I scholarships to continue their academic and athletic careers. “We’re proud of that more than even just winning a national championship. It’s just getting them placed, getting them prepared for the next level.”
One student-athlete’s journey that particularly stands out to Lytle is Younsoo Cho. When Cho first arrived at Hillsborough College, the transition to college life in the United States felt overwhelming. After attending her first class, Cho and her mother came to Lytle’s office in tears, unsure if she was ready for the challenge. “I basically yelled at them,” Lytle said with a laugh. “I was like, you can do this. I know you can do this. I didn’t bring you here because I thought you would fail. We’re going to help you. It’s going to be hard, but you have to believe in yourself.” That encouragement helped change the trajectory of Cho’s college career. Two years later, she graduated as a four-time national champion, winning both No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles this season before earning a Division I scholarship to St. John's University. For Lytle, stories like Cho’s represent the true meaning of success—not simply winning championships but helping student-athletes discover strengths they didn’t know they had. “I would want them to leave here knowing that they are much stronger than they ever thought possible.”
Looking ahead, Lytle remains focused on continuing to build a culture centered on improvement rather than expectations. “If we can improve athletes in any way—academics, personally, confidence—that is the main goal for me as a coach.”
Lytle also views competing on a national stage as an opportunity to represent Hillsborough College and the community that supports the program, “We have this name on our jersey. We have the logo. So, everything that we do, we want to make sure that the community is super proud of us.” While Lytle has led one of the nation’s most successful junior college tennis programs, she is quick to credit the people behind the program’s success, pointing to the support of college leadership, athletic staff, academic advisors, the international office and her assistant coach as essential to helping the team thrive both on and off the court. “We couldn’t do it without the community,” she said. “This is definitely the College’s championship title more so than it is mine.”